Valve mechanism for reciprocating engines



A, H. ANTHONY.

VALVE MECHANISM FOR RECIPROCATING ENGINES.

APPLICATION HLED FEB. 4, 1919.

1,336,71 1 Patented Apr. 13, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- .ammsm W'Kimx A. H. ANTHONY.

VALVE MECHANISM FOR RECIPROCATING ENGINES. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 4, 1919.

1,336,? 1 1 Patented Apr. 13, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ALFRED 'HYMAN ANTHONY, OF GOLCHESTER, ENGLAND.

VALVE.MEGHANISIVI FOR RECIPRQCATING ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 13, 1920.

Application filed February 4, 1919. Serial No. 274,895.

To all whom it'may concem:

Be :it known tha't I, ALFRED HYMAN AN- THONY, a subject of the King of England, residing atColchester, in-the county of Essex, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valve Mechanism for Reciprocating Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to valve-mechanism for reciprocating engines, viz, to slide valves of the type wherein the valve is connected to a plunger-and-barrel device, whereof the movable member is operated by the working-fluid admitted to the device through ports controlled by the workingpiston, and the said IDQIHbGf-IDOVGS in a path parallel to that of the working-piston.

According to the present invention, a slide-valve of the type above defined is characterized by the barrel being the movable member and carrying the valve and having in its wall "ports disposed on opposite sides of the plunger -'c0minunicating through "the wall of the working-cylinder with ports in the inner face of the latter and by the working-piston having pockets which connec't the said ports to the fiuid supply and the exhaust in such manner that the barrel is reciprocated by fluid-pressure.

This invention further provides such a construction of slide-valve,characterized by the above-stated features, that the conduits connecting the ports in the barrel to the ports in the cylinderare all perpendicular to one and the same plane which also contains the longitudinal axis of thecylinder.

In the preferred construction according to this invention, a separate inlet-port and exhaust-port are provided for each end of the barrel and four pockets are provided in the piston, one for each of the said four ports. The object of this latter arrange ment is'to provide simplicity of construction and obviate the diiiiculties which are liable to arise from a construction in which a singlecavity or pocket in the piston serves more than one purpose,-or in which a single port .for the barrel has to serve both as inlet and 'exhaust;

' Other features of theinvention will be described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Oneenibodim'ent of the invention is illustrated by wayof example in theaccoinpanying drawings, wherein Figure '1 is a vertical longitudinal section showing one form of valve mechanism according to the invention,

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectiontaken on the line 22 in-Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a top plan View of the valvechest and the portstherein as seen w'henthe slide-valve has been removed,

Fig. 4 is a top plan View showing the working face ofthe working-piston,and

Fig. 5 is a bottoin plan view showing the valve-face at the underside of the barreland-plunger device inthe valve-chest.

Like reference letters designate like parts in all the views.

Referring to the drawings, the workin cylinder A containing the working-piston is provided with the usual valve-chest C upon it wherein, as customary, is the seating C for the slide-valve D disposed upon the outer surface of the cylinder-wall. The slidevalve D is integral with the barrel D which contains the plunger E of the aforesaid barrel-and-plunger device. The seating C is pierced with nine ports 0 to 0 whereof three 0 c 0* are on the-center-line of the seating, which line is parallel to the axis of the cylinder, the center port '0 of these three ports being the exhaust, as is usual, and the two extremes c and 0 the inlet-ports for the corresponding ends of the cylinder. To one sideof the inlet-port c are two smaller ports 0 0 formed b holes drilled straightthroughthe wall of the working-cylinder A at right-angles to the working-face of the valve-seating. These two ports 0 c are in line with one another along a line at right-angles to the centerline above referredto of the seating, and are hereinafter referred, to as the inner and outer lateral inlet-ports respectively, since both are laterally placed on the seating and one is farther from the centerline than the other. On the opposite side of the centerline of the seating and approximately in line with the said two lateral inlet-ports is what is herein described as a lateral exl'iaust-port 0 also formed by a hole drilled straight through the wall of the workingcylinder at right-angles to the face of the seating. At the 'opposite'end'of the seating are three lateral ports 0 to 0 two, 0 a", to one side and one, 0 to the other side of the centerline, arranged in relation to the other inletport 0 for the working-cylinder in a corresponding manner, so that the two lateral inlet-ports 0", 0 at one end are on the opposite side of the said center-line to the two lateral inlet-ports c 0 at the other end.

The working-piston B is of such alength that neither end ever passes any of the openings in the cylinder-wall formed by the above mentioned lateral ports. Unless, therefore, provision were made to the contrary, these ports would always be sealed at the inner surface of the working-cylinder by the cylindrical surface of the workingpiston. Provision for opening the ports is V the other ports.

made by means of pockets or recesses b? to b in the cylindrical surface of thepiston, there being four pockets in all, one 6 to register simultaneously with the two lateral inlet-ports 0 c at one end and bridgethem, one, 6 for the corresponding ports 0 0 at the other end, and two more 6 5 whose general direction is inclined to the longitudinal axis of the piston and which serve each to put one of the lateral exhaust-ports 0 0 into communication with a port 0 drilled through the cylinder-wall. This port 0 is virtually a continuation of the central exhaust-port c and is drilled in continuation of it through the cylinder-wall parallel to The slide-valve D integral with the barrel of the plunger-and-barrel device, is formed on its outer, and otherwise cylindrical, periphery. On the face of the valve, in addition to slotted pockets al (P, (Z to give the usual control of the inlet-ports c, c" and the exhaust-port 0 for the workingcylinder, there are four lateral slots (Z to (Z each so situated and of such a length that in all positions during the travel of the slidevalve it registers with one of the lateral ports in the seating. Thus, one such lateral slot cl registers with the inner lateral inletport 0 one slot cl with the corresponding lateral exhaust-port c on the other side of the center-line, and the two slots (Z (Z at the other end are similarly disposed. The edge of the valve is furthermore cut away at diagonally-opposite points (Z (Z so that v the two outer lateral inlet-ports 0, 0 which may be called admission ducts, are always open to the working-fluid in the valve-chest.

The four lateral slots d to (Z in the slidevalve communicate with the interior of the barrel by ducts drilled through the wall of the barrelso that a separate inletand exhaust-port are provided at each'end of the barrel at opposite sides of the plunger, there being fourports in all through the wall of the barrel. V

The plunger E for the barrel D is fixed,

" be lifted clear away without removing any further fastening. The barrel D is held down to keep the slide-valve D upon its seating by coacting slidably with the cover H of the valve-chest C and in the latter there is fitted the spindle 'J of the customary starting-handle K. p 7

It will be understood that thearrange- .ment above described is such that as the piston 13 reaches ,oneen d of its stroke, one of its pockets 6 or b will bridge two lateral inlet-ports c 0 or 0 0 and the adjacent inclined pocket 6 or b will bridge the central exhaust-port and the lateral exhaustport 0 or c at the other end of the seating. In result steam (or other working-fluid) is exhausted from the barrel in the valve-chest on one side of the plunger and is admitted to the other, thus causing the barrel to travel and so carry the slide-valve across its seating to reverse the movement of the working piston. V V

' lVhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a reciprocating engine the combination of a valve-chest carried on the working cylinder, a plunger-and-barrel device within the chest of which device the plunger is fixed and the barrel is movable in the chest in the direction of its own principal axis, a valve rigidly secured to the barrel within the chest, two admission ducts connecting opposed points in the interior of the chest with opposed points in the interior of the said cylinder, two inlet ducts connecting opposed ends of the interior of the barrel with opposed points in the interior of the cylinder, and two exhaust ducts connecting opposed ends of the interior of the barrel with opposed points in the interior of the cylinder, characterized by all of the said ducts having ports in the cylinder sosituated as to be always masked by the piston in its movements and by the piston being formed with pockets so shaped and situated that in one position of the piston one of said-admission ducts is connected with one of said inlet ducts, and one of said exhaust ducts is connected with the exhaust port of the working cylinder, and that in another position of the piston the other admission duct is connected with the other inlet duct and the other exhaust duct is connected with said exhaust port, while the pockets are inoperative at all other positions ofthe piston, substantially as'described.

2. In a reciprocating eng ne thecombination of a valve-chest carried on the working cylinder, a plunger-andbarrel device within the chest of which device the plunger is fixed and the barrel is movable inthe chest in the direction of its own principal axis, a valve rigidly secured to the barrel-within the chest, two admission ducts connecting opposed points in the interior of the chest with opposed points in the interior of the said cylinder, two inlet ducts connecting opposed ends of the interior of the barrel with opposed points in the interior of the cylinder, and two exhaust ducts connecting opposed ends of the interior of the barrel with opposed points in the interior of the cylinder, characterized by all of the said ducts having ports in the cylinder so situated as to be always masked by the piston in its movements and by the parts being so situated and dimensioned that the ducts may be and are formed as straight drilled holes, and by the piston being formed with four pockets so shaped and situated that in one positionof the piston one of said admission ducts is connected by one pocket with one of said inlet ducts, and one of said exhaust ducts is connected by another pocket with the exhaust port of the working cylinder, and that in another position of the piston the other admission duct is connected by a third pocket with the other inlet duct and the other exhaust duct is connected by the fourth pocket with said exhaust port, while the pockets are inoperative at all other positions of the piston, substantially as de scribed.

3. In a reciprocating engine the combina tion of a valve-chest carried on the working cylinder, a plunger-and-barrel device within the chest of which device the plunger is fixed and the barrel is movable in the chest in the direction of its own principal axis, a valve rigidly secured to the barrel within the chest, two admission ducts connecting opposed points in the interior of the chest with opposed points in the interior of the said cylinder, two inlet ducts connecting opposed ends of the interior of the barrel with opposed points in the interior of the cylinder, and two exhaust ducts connecting opposed ends of the interior of the barrel with opposed points in the interior of the cylinder, characterized by all or the said ducts having ports in the cylinder so situated as to be always masked by the piston in its movements and by the parts being so situated and dimensioned that the ducts ma be and are formed as straight drilled holes extending at right angles to one and the same plane, which plane also contains the longitudinal axis of the cylinder, and by the piston being formed with pockets so shaped and situated that in one position of the piston one of said admission ducts is connected with one of said inlet ducts, and one of said exhaust ducts is connected with the exhaust port of the working cylinder, and that in another position of the piston the other admission duct is connected with the other inlet duct and the other exhaust duct is connected with said exhaust port, while the pockets are inoperative at all other positions of the piston, substantially as described.

4. In a reciprocating engine the combination of a valve-chest carried on the working cylinder, a plunger-and-barrel device within the chest of which device the plunger is fixed and the barrel is movable in the chest in the direction of its own principal axis, a valve rigidly secured to the barrel within the chest, four ducts each formed as a straight drilled hole two extending from one end of the barrel and the other two from the other end of the barrel to ports within the cylinder, two other ducts also formed as straight drilled holes and each extending from the steam space of the valve-chest to within the cylinder and a piston within the cylinder formed with four pockets, two pockets toward opposite ends of the cylinder, one situated and shaped to connect one of the ducts from one end of the barrel to one of the ducts leading from the steam space of the valve-chest, and the other similarly to connect one of the ducts from the other end of the barrel to a duct leading from the steam space of the valve-chest, and two pockets intermediate between the said two, one to connect the remaining duct from within the barrel to the exhaust port of the cylinder, and the other to connect the remaining duct from the other end of the barrel to the exhaust port of the cylinder, substantially as described.

5; In a reciprocating engine the combination of a valve-chest carried on the working cylinder, a plunger-andbarrel device within the chest of which device the plunger is fixed and the barrel is movable in the chest in the direction of its own principal axis, a valve rigidly secured to the barrel within the chest, four ducts traversing the barrel wall and the valve-body and extending two from one end of the barrel and two from the other end of the barrel to ports within the cylinder through the valve-body and its seating and opening at the working face of the valve into slots in that face whose length lies in the direction of travel of the valve, and each of which slots is of such length that in the travel of the valve the continuity of communication by the said ducts between the interior of the barrel and the said ports within the cylinder is unbroken, admission ducts connecting the steam space within the valve-chest with ports within the cylinder, and a piston formed with pockets so shaped and situated that in one position of the pis ton one of said four ducts opening into one end of the barrel is put into communication with one of said admlssion ducts and another duct opening into the other end of of said four ducts opening into the latter end of the barrel is put into communication 10 with the other end of said admission ducts,

and the fourth of said four duets is put into communication With the said exhaust port, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature. 15 ALFRED HYMAN ANTHONY. 

